Just for Him
by Devin Trinidad
Summary: Vanya makes something special for Number Five. (Pre-TVseries)


If Five was surprised to find Vanya sitting alone in the kitchen at three in the morning, he didn't show it. Instead, all he did was sidle up next to her and dropped his head against the cool wooden grain of the table.

"You're up early," he mutters softly into the wood. "Care to share?"

Vanya didn't answer. Well, at least, not at first. Instead, he feels a few locks of his hair being brushed aside until Five relents and stares deep into her eyes.

"You've been sneaking into the kitchen a lot at night." It's a simple little statement, one that is both innocent but also indicative of Vanya's curiosity and accusation. "What are you doing?"

Five shrugs in that smug, condescending way that indirectly displays his arrogance. _Vanya already knows_. "What people usually do in kitchens: cook and eat."

Vanya huffs a little at that. Although she was more than comfortable with Five, and at times, Ben, she still doesn't take it well when her intelligence was called into question. (Their father and their other siblings did that on a regular basis, thank you very much). Fortunately, Five seems to realize that as he offers an apologetic look, but without the apology.

"Have you…been…you know?"

It's useless to try and keep secrets in the Hargreeves household. Their benefactor probably installed recording devices for audio alongside the cameras. The Hargreeves children never quite forgot that they were glorified science experiments.

Still, though. Five appreciates the sentiment before he has to bring her back to the reality that sentiment didn't take you far in the Hargreeves house.

"Just say it," Five says. This time, Five is careful to keep his sarcasm and his curt tone to a minimum. "I'm pretty sure everyone knows at this point. It's just a matter of when and where I get caught in the act."

"Fine then. " Vanya takes a deep breath. "Have you been jumping at night? You know that Dad told you to do it only during training and practice sessions."

Five smirks, a little proud of himself and her observational skills.

That's all Vanya needs to know before she sighs to herself. Although she is still just a child, Vanya has that unmistakable air of a loving and maternal person. At times, Five wished that Vanya was the one who took care of his wounds. Grace did a good job, but Vanya…

Vanya was special.

Much to his embarrassment, something growls deep into the night. It is only out of surprise and definitely not because he is so comfortable with her that he allows his head to fall back onto the table. For a moment, he feels Vanya's hands gently comb through his hair and pat his shoulder in sympathy before Five feels her drift away. He was about to ask for her to come back, but her newest command silences him.

"Wait just a moment." The seventh of the adopted siblings scurries off into the cupboards to fetch something to sate Five's hunger.

"What are you doing?" He tries to peer beyond Vanya's shoulders, but she pushes him away with a gentle shove and a giggle. As much as Five wanted to use his powers, he wasn't in the mood to get reprimanded by dear Vanya. "Fine, keep your secrets."

After an eternity (in Five's humble opinion), Vanya came back to find that Five has just about dozed off. Hesitantly, she brought her fingers to his face and—

"If you licked your fingers, it better not go anywhere near my ears. I've had enough of Klaus' wet willies to last me a lifetime."

"Come on, you weirdo—" She tries to move him into a proper sitting position, but he only moves when he wants to. "—hurry up or I'll eat your snack for you."

That makes Five move _very quickly_.

He cracks open his eyes to find a benign sandwich on top of a plate. He turns to his favorite sibling, a question evident in his eyes.

"Go on," Vanya urges. "I promise that I didn't poison it. Besides, all your jumping probably made you hungry, right?"

Of all the siblings living in the house, Vanya was the least likely to have done something to the food. Klaus and Ben were as thick as thieves; Diego was a loner, but a veritable prankster at times; and Luther and Allison were always trying to please their father. Vanya was innocent because she chose to be. However, the grin on her cherubic face seemed to tell a different story.

Despite her track record as the most innocent person in the house, Five decided to inspect the sandwich first. He poked and prodded at the bread and tried to peer inside before Vanya declared that it was a 'surprise'. Just what could the surprise be? Eventually, Five sat and glared at the sandwich as if he could spontaneously develop the power of x-ray vision. However, that led to consequences on Vanya's end.

The more time Five stared at the sandwich, the more fidgety Vanya became. She twisted her hair and bit her lip. Before long, even Five couldn't bear to have her so distraught. So, he thought 'screw it!' and began to take a bite of the sandwich.

It. Was. Pure. Heaven.

The peanut butter was thick, creamy, and sticky. The full, rich flavor of the butter was complimented by the sugar content within the marshmallows. It was such a strange combination, but Five felt his strength returning as he continued to eat. Once he had finished the treat, he flashed Vanya the biggest grin he could muster.

"Ew." She feigned a grimace as she hopped off her chair to get him a glass of milk. "All that peanut butter gets on your teeth and—" She pretended to gag as she handed Five the glass.

Five would have been sarcastic with his other siblings, tone caustic and filled with derision. With Vanya, however, he smiles wider at her antics.

"Combining two of my favorite things? Genius."

A hint of a blush blossomed over her cheeks, but that didn't stop her from smiling brightly at him. Not even the curtain of her hair could distract Five from staring into her warm brown eyes.

He's glad that he could make her smile.

"Come on." He offers her his hand, which she gladly accepts. "I'll take you to your room."

And if they both forgot to turn off the kitchen lights—

And if the both of them were punished with more training and more lessons—

And if they were separated during the day by their father—

Then they didn't care because Five continued jumping through space and Vanya continued to make peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches.

Just for him.


End file.
